Mary Annie Vingoe & Abednego Harvey
By Barry Philip Harvey ©
Fore St Newlyn.Cir.1811
The
Grocery store (No 39) is the small 2 story building, in centre picture. Original
water colour painting brought to Australia in 1915 by Mary Annie, is held by
Barry Harvey.
ABEDNEGO HARVEY
Abednego
was born on 31st July 1884 and lived at 4 Florence Place Newlyn (1891 census)
before the family moved to 2 Bon Villas, Paul Hill.
On the 21st October 1908 he married Mary Annie Vingoe.who was born 31st
July 1883. Mary Annie had
been living at a Grocery store owned by Mr Reseigh in Fore St Newlyn, as post
cards from Abednego to Mary Annie, held by grandchildren, Barry and Rosalyn,
were addressed to C/o Mr Reseigh’s store.
Prior
to the marriage Abednego had been living at 4 Charles St. Newlyn.
Abednego
and Mary moved into the home above Mary's family grocery store at 39 Fore St.
Newlyn, which became their family home until they migrated to Australia.
There
were four children born in their Fore St. home - Sylvia, Harold, Mary and
Abednego. Sylvia died in 1911
at the age of 9 months and is buried with her grandfather, Abednego, at Paul
cemetery.
Abednego
did not wish to follow his forefathers and become a fisherman or seaman and, as
other employment was difficult to find, he could see no future in Penzance so
decided to emigrate to Australia.
He was a Grocer at the time, probably working
at his in-laws store. Although
his family were land holders in Penzance, Abednego was not going to receive
anything from the properties as they were going to be left to his sisters.
He
was a proficient organist and would have been the official organist at the local
Newlyn Wesleyan Church, had he remained in Newlyn.
Abednego and Mary Annie
After
leaving from Tilbury, London, as a 3rd class passenger and a 16 week voyage, he
arrived in Sydney on the 3rd July 1913, on the "Osterley".
The ship's commander was Walter Cox.
In
Australia, Abednego found work firstly with an engineering firm for a short
period, then with the Postmaster Generals Department as a Postal Worker, - a
position that he held until his retirement at the age of 62.
Mary
Annie, with children Harold, Mary Annie, and third child, Abednego, sailed from
London via the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, on the ship “Commonwealth”
arriving in Sydney on the 30th October 1915.
En route, in the Indian Ocean, a cruising enemy submarine was sighted,
thus forcing the ship to stop all engines and turn off all lighting to prevent
detection. The commander of the “Commonwealth” was E M Hussy.
Abednego and his family lived at 61 Henrietta
St. Waverley for a number of years and provided a home for his mother, Jane, and
his sister Winifred (Winnie), after they also immigrated, arriving in Sydney on
the 26th February 1920 on the ship "Megantic".
Abednego and his family moved to Waterloo Rd, Greenacre, for four years,
then to Broadway at Punchbowl, for three years, then made one final move to the
home they had built in 1928, at 58 Catherine St, Punchbowl.
Jane
Harvey nee Carter.c1924
This
became the Harvey home, and the only home that all the grandchildren knew as
Nan's and Grandpa's. We all
remember Nan’s rock cakes, fruit cake and ginger beer in the large earthen
ware bottles, she purchased from the man in the horse and cart, as well as the
tea she would serve us from the saucer.
Grandpa also taught most of his grandchildren to walk.
We
grandchildren were often in trouble as our face, hands and clothes would often
be coloured purple, from eating mulberries and climbing the large mulberry tree,
in their backyard.
His
preaching days ceased when confronted by the local minister regarding the
content of his sermons as they did not reflect the writings within the Bible.
Abednego questioned the minister asking him if he really believed that
the whale had swallowed Jonah. The
minister replied that if the Bible stated that Jonah had swallowed the whale he
would believe it. With this
difference in their methods and beliefs Abednego did not preach again.
The church alter is dedicated to Abednego and Mary Annie through monies
donated by the Harvey family when the church was refurbished.
Their daughter Peggy, still attended this church until hear death in
1999.
After
his retirement, Abednego became keen in playing his weird home made musical
instruments, (if they could be called that) and he was quite a menace with them,
insisting on playing them at the least provocation.
They all sounded ghastly, but it did give him an interest in his
retirement, was the comment from by his son Arthur.
On the occasion, when Arthur was asking his
mother details of their family history, Abednego became annoyed and requested
him not to ask silly questions. Arthur
did manage to find out a little from his mother on another occasion and pass it
on to other members of the family. Abednego
was somewhat stubborn at times and at one time, during a stay in hospital due to
an illness, he would only eat if his daughter in law, Gloria, would feed him.
Although
it has been stated that he had Huntington’s disease, Abednego died in his
sleep from heart failure, on 8th December 1957 and his ashes were spread around
a Mock Orange shrub, in a small shell surrounded garden at his eldest son,
Harold's rented home, at 40 Warejee St, Kingsgrove.
Mary
Annie died 3rd October 1960. She
requested that her ashes be spread in the harbour at Newlyn, and they were held
by daughters Betty, then Peggy for a number of years, before being spread in the
front garden, on the north eastern corner, at the Greenacre Methodist Church
(now Uniting Church) as they knew of no-one who was going to Newlyn, Penzance.
After
Abednego and Mary Annie's death, their youngest son Richard and his wife Gloria,
purchased the 58 Catherine Street Punchbowl property, which then became their
family home. Upon Richard's death in 1996, the home became too much for Gloria
to maintain and when it was sold in April 1998, Gloria moved to 3 Kurnai St
Laurieton on the North Coast of NSW.
This enabled her to be closer to her mother who was ill and lived at
Gunnedah.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Visits to Cornwall.
I
have been the only member of the family to date who has visited Newlyn to walk
the streets and to see and feel the "Harvey" family roots.
My first visit in October 1991 was like "going home" although,
at that stage, believed that the family home in Fore street had been demolished
for road widening. It was something special, and I consider myself very
fortunate, to have discussed the family roots and view photographs with dad as
he had been only four years old when he left for Australia. Dad never returned to Newlyn and he died only seven
months after my visit to his birth place.
In
May 1995 I again visited Newlyn with my wife, Helen, and found that the Fore St.
home, number 39, was still standing with a "Harvey" living there ( the
gentleman's mother was a Harvey with him having Harvey as his Christian name ).
Unknown at this stage if the families were related.
Helen
and I again visited Newlyn in August 1997 ( my third visit) and found that this
gentleman had died. The home
had been sold and was being renovated.
He was not related.
The
home now painted black and on the harbour foreshore overlooking the old quay has
a passageway underneath, now blocked, which extends up to Paul Hill and it is
known that this tunnel was used by the smugglers in the 1800's for the movement
of contraband.
The
harbour wall was built in the 14th century and the "Mayflower" tied up
at the steps here to take on fresh water after leaving Plymouth as the water she
took on at Plymouth carried Typhoid.
At one stage the harbour wall had been covered up but the Bishops in
Exeter had it restored. Due
to big seas the original wall was added onto to make it what it is today.
I
also spoke to Amelia Harvey who is 84 years old and married an Abednego Harvey.
His father and grandfather were also Abednego and I believe that the
grandfather may be the Abednego in our line (Christened 16th December 1810).
Amelia's grand daughter, Tina, works at the Red Lion Inn near the Fore
St. home. The Red Lion Inn
was once owned by William Ladner, Jane Carter's great grandfather.
I have written to Tina and Harvey seeking more information on their
families.
Whilst
walking around Paul cemetery which is above the village of Mousehole, I located
the grave of my great grandfather, Abednego, ( 1859 -1918 ) and Sylvia, ( 1910 -
1911 ).who are buried together. Sylvia
being my father's eldest sister who died in infancy at only nine months.
I knew nothing of Sylvia until after my father's death.
On
our 1995 visit we also met and stayed with Mary and Douglas Howell who lived at
Failand near Bristol -- Mary being a distant relative ( 2nd cousin once removed
) on the Carter side of the family. Mary's
grandmother, Mary Ladner Carter ( 1860 - 1923 ), and my great grandmother, Jane
Carter ( 1862 - 1930 ) were sisters.
Mary, who was born in Penzance, is a member of the Cornwall genealogy
society and has been of great assistance in this research
Helen and I enjoyed a stay with Mary and
Douglas again in August 1997 for three days - a lovely and friendly couple.
They had moved to Truro in Cornwall to be closer to Mary's family, her
brother Richard, sister Nancy and their families, and also to enjoy the much
improved English weather conditions.
Barry, Helen, Douglas, Mary, Nancy and John
Taken on our May 1995 visit to England
In
August 1997 we again visited Amelia Harvey at Newlyn and met her daughter
Jennifer Jelbert who, with her brother Abednego, will attempt to find a link to
our side of the family.
Click to return to Abednego Harvey
Any Alterations through Births, Deaths Etc,
Please
refer on to:-
Barry Philip Harvey, 3 Murrie St, Windang 2528. Australia E-Mail
1st May 2003
